Scissors-grip model for DNA recognition by a family of leucine zipper proteins

C/EBP is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein that regulates gene expression in certain mammalian cells. The region of the C/EBP polypeptide required for specific recognition of DNA is related in amino acid sequence to other regulatory proteins, including the Fos and Jun transforming proteins. It has been proposed that these proteins bind DNA via a bipartite structural motif, consisting of a dimerization interface termed the "leucine zipper" and a DNA contact surface termed the "basic region." An evaluation of the properties of conserved amino acids within the basic region of 11 deduced protein sequences, coupled with the observation that they are located at an invariant distance from the leucine zipper, has led to the formulation of a "scissors-grip" model for DNA binding. The architectural features of this model are well suited for interaction with directly abutted, dyadsymmetric DNA sequences. Data supportive of the model were obtained with chemical probes of protein: DNA complexes.     

牙鲆Mx基因的克隆及序列分析

对牙鲆(Paralichthys lethostigma)总RNA经反转录得到的cDNA测序。结果表明,获得的cDNA片段全长1 980 bp,其中编码区长1 890 bp,编码629个氨基酸残基,推测蛋白质分子量大小为71.7 kDa。Blast比较以及Megalign软件分析的结果表明,此cDNA片段具有脊椎动物Mx蛋白共有的结构特征:一个三联体GTP结合区域;一个发动蛋白家族的典型结构特征序列及C端高度保守的Leu拉链结构区。进一步的序列比较与进化分析结果表明,牙鲆Mx基因与日本比目鱼等鱼类的同源性较高,同源性达75.1%-98.7%;而与哺乳动物的同源性相对较低,同源性达50.3%-55.1%。     

The leucine zipper: a hypothetical structure common to a new class of DNA binding proteins

A 30-amino-acid segment of C/EBP, a newly discovered enhancer binding protein, shares notable sequence similarity with a segment of the cellular Myc transforming protein. Display of these respective amino acid sequences on an idealized alpha helix revealed a periodic repetition of leucine residues at every seventh position over a distance covering eight helical turns. The periodic array of at least four leucines was also noted in the sequences of the Fos and Jun transforming proteins, as well as that of the yeast gene regulatory protein, GCN4. The polypeptide segments containing these periodic arrays of leucine residues are proposed to exist in an alpha-helical conformation, and the leucine side chains extending from one alpha helix interdigitate with those displayed from a similar alpha helix of a second polypeptide, facilitating dimerization. This hypothetical structure is referred to as the "leucine zipper," and it may represent a characteristic property of a new category of DNA binding proteins.     

Methylation-sensitive sequence-specific DNA binding by the c-Myc basic region

The function of the c-Myc oncoprotein and its role in cell growth control is unclear. A basic region of c-Myc is structurally related to the basic motifs of helix-loop-helix (HLH) and leucine zipper proteins, which provide sequence-specific DNA binding function. The c-Myc basic region was tested for its ability to bind DNA by attaching it to the HLH dimerization interface of the E12 enhancer binding factor. Dimers of the chimeric protein, termed E6, specifically bound an E box element (GGCCACGTGACC) recognized by other HLH proteins in a manner dependent on the integrity of the c-Myc basic motif. Methylation of the core CpG in the E box recognition site specifically inhibited binding by E6, but not by two other HLH proteins. Expression of E6 (but not an E6 DNA binding mutant) suppressed the ability of c-myc to cooperate with H-ras in a rat embryo fibroblast transformation assay, suggesting that the DNA recognition specificity of E6 is related to that of c-Myc in vivo.     

The DNA binding domain of the rat liver nuclear protein C/EBP is bipartite

C/EBP is a rat liver nuclear protein capable of sequence-specific interaction with DNA. The DNA sequences to which C/EBP binds in vitro have been implicated in the control of messenger RNA synthesis. It has therefore been predicted that C/EBP will play a role in regulating gene expression in mammalian cells. The region of the C/EBP polypeptide required for direct interaction with DNA has been identified and shown to bear amino acid sequence relatedness with the product of the myc, fos, and jun proto-oncogenes. The arrangement of these related amino acid sequences led to the prediction of a new structural motif, termed the "leucine zipper," that plays a role in facilitating sequence-specific interaction between protein and DNA. Experimental tests now provide support for the leucine zipper hypothesis.     

Constitutive display of cryptic translation products by MHC class I molecules

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules display tens of thousands of peptides on the cell surface, derived from virtually all endogenous proteins, for inspection by cytotoxic T cells (CTLs). We show that, in normal mouse cells, MHC I molecules present a peptide encoded in the 3' "untranslated" region. Despite its rarity, the peptide elicits CTL responses and induces self-tolerance, establishing that immune surveillance extends well beyond conventional polypeptides. Furthermore, translation of this cryptic peptide occurs by a previously unknown mechanism that decodes the CUG initiation codon as leucine rather than the canonical methionine.     

同源域-亮氨酸拉链蛋白ATHB6的研究进展?

同源域—亮氨酸拉链蛋白(HD-Zip)是高等植物中特有的一类转录因子,包含高度保守的同源异型域(HD),HD羧基末端与亮氨酸拉链域(LZ)紧密相连。同源域—亮氨酸拉链蛋白ATHB6是蛋白磷酸酶ABI1的靶蛋白,与发育中器官的细胞分裂和分化有关,是特异的ABA反应的负调控因子。ATHB6的表达受缺水、高渗、外源ABA及光的特异性调控。综述了ATHB6的相关结构、功能的新进展。